TOW Round Two
by starvingstudent
Summary: Who knows who better the girls or the guys? A seond competition during season five, with Monica and Chandler trying to keep their relationship secret. Major MC
1. The Challenge

AN: New story. Got the idea today and just had to sit down and write it. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am borrowing the characters from FRIENDS and I promise to return them safely.

Summary: Basically the girls vs. the guys (like in TOW the embryos) round 2. Just add in Ross and Phoebe as contestants, Monica and Chandler's secret relationship and some very personal questions and you've got this story. Major M/C.

Chapter One: The Challenge

Phoebe entered the coffeehouse and took her place among her five friends who were already there. "Hey guys, guess what I finally did?"

"Went back to school? Cleaned out your closet? Won the lottery? Happened upon-" Chandler was cut off by Monica's elbow meeting his ribs. "Ow," he muttered quietly, trying to act like it hadn't hurt quite as much as it had. He rubbed the sore spot as nonchalantly as he could manage and mock-glared at his girlfriend.

"Thank-you, Monica," Phoebe said, nodding her head in appreciation. She gave Chandler a look, which reflected back to her, before cracking a wry smile and rolling his eyes in good humor.

"I am sorry, Phoebe." He said, emphasizing every syllable. "What is it that you have finally done?"

"Well," Phoebe continued, not recognizing the sarcasm in his voice. "I finally got that roll of film that was in my camera developed."

"The one that has been in there for, like, years?" Joey asked.

Phoebe nodded emphatically. "Yeah, I don't actually know how old it is, but there are some pretty old pictures," she said, pulling a small stack of pictures from her bag. "Now, the door of the camera was opened a few times, so some of the pictures didn't turn out. These are the only good ones left."

"Wow, these really are old, Pheebs," Rachel said. "These are back from when the boys stole our apartment."

"Stole!" Joey exclaimed.

"Yeah, we never stole nothing. We won it fair and square. You girls are the ones who stole it from us." Chandler said, backing up Joey.

Monica rolled her eyes. "We just took back what was rightfully ours.

"No," Chandler turned to Monica. "You stole it. You lost the game, and then you resorted to stealing, because you couldn't stand the constant reminder of how you _lost_."

Monica inhaled as she sat up straighter, reacting to Chandler's words even though she knew he was baiting her.

"Oooh, them's fighting words," Phoebe said cheerfully.

Chandler raised an eyebrow, as if challenging her to respond.

Monica felt her teeth clench. She was now locked into Chandler's confident gaze, knowing her exactly how her friends expected her to react, but not to give it to them. She fought an internal battle for something witty to reply to him, however he was the witty member of the group, not her. She continued struggling, knowing she was running out of time. She finally gave up and settled for simply elbowing him in the ribs again, this time a _little_ harder than the first time.

"Ow!" Chandler exclaimed. "Would you stop doing that? It really hurts!"

"Oh, poor Chandler, getting beat up by a girl." Monica piled on the fake sympathy, reaching up to cup his cheek. "Are you going to be okay?"

Chandler glared at her, knowing she had caught him this time. He couldn't take it any further, because they still had massive boundaries around their friends. He turned away, effectively ignoring her. Joey, however was still glaring at her. "What?" She asked him.

"I think you owe us an apology."

"Who?"

"Me and Chandler."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because."

"Because why-"

"Stop!" Ross exclaimed. "This could go on for a while."

"She started it." Joey muttered.

Monica gaped at him, but Phoebe cut in before she could respond. "Well, as I remember it, Monica and Rachel lost the apartment in a bet, and then got it back fair and square."

"Fair and square? They switched all of our stuff while we weren't home."

"And then made out in front of you."

"Oh, yeah," Joey said dreamily, remembering.

"They what?" Ross exclaimed.

"What, you didn't know that?" Phoebe asked.

"No!"

"Dude, you should have been there. It was awesome, right Chandler?"

Chandler nodded to appease his roommate, quite aware of Monica's eyes on him. He discreetly shifted his arms over to cover his side, hoping it would prove effective in preventing any more elbow attacks.

"Girls," Ross said, disgusted by the thought of his sister kissing his ex, "that really wasn't a fair way to get the apartment back."

Rachel shrugged. "It was effective."

"_And_, we all know still recognize that we know more about the girls than they do about us." Chandler gloated, purposely avoiding eye contact with his girlfriend.

"_So_ not true." Monica retorted.

"Is to." Joey responded.

"Is not."

"Is to."

"Is not."

"Oh, for the love of all that is good, would you two stop doing that!" Phoebe exclaimed. "The way I see it, there is only one way to settle this. There's got to be a rematch."

"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea," Chandler said. "Some people over here," he motioned to Monica, "are to afraid to lose _again_."

Monica felt her blood boil at his words, however she noticed that in his gloating he had let his arms slip, leaving his side unprotected.

"Oh!" Chandler exclaimed for the third time. "Okay, there's already gonna be a bruise. Do you have to break a rib as well?"

Monica smirked. "I think a rematch is a great idea, Phoebe. Now we can prove once and for all that we know more about the boys, right Rach?"

Rachel hesitated. "I don't know, Mon. You can get kinda scary, and I really don't want to move again."

Monica rolled her eyes. "Just suck it up, Rach, and we're not going to lose."

"That's what you said last time," Rachel mumbled under her breath.

"Hey," Phoebe said. "I want to play this time."

"Fine," Monica said. "We can play the three of us against the three guys."

Rachel looked pained. "Mon, I really don't think this is s good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like being on you team."

"Wait," Phoebe said, cutting off any further conversation. "I have an idea. Why don't we each have one guy to answer questions about. Then we're not really on the same team, but we're still on the same side."

"I like that idea." Rachel said, nodding her agreement.

"Okay," Monica relented. "But how do we decide who gets who?"

Phoebe thought for a moment. "Okay, well it can't be you and Ross, cause you grew up together, so it wouldn't be fair. Oh, and it can't be Ross and Rachel because they dated, so that wouldn't be fair, which means it has to be Ross and me. And I guess it doesn't matter which of you two get which guy, cause there's no other connections like with Ross."

Chandler felt his gut tighten at Phoebe's words, and prayed his expression didn't give anything away.

Joey realized that Phoebe was wrong, but then immediately realized that he was the only one, other than Monica and Chandler, who would know that. "Well, in that case, why don't I pair up with Monica, and Rachel and Chandler can play together."

Monica and Chandler nodded their agreement, but were cut off by Rachel.

"Wait, why do you get to decide? Is there a reason you want Monica? I'll bet there is, I'll bet you know something about her that will make this unfair."

Phoebe was nodding her agreement. "Rachel's right. I think it should be Joey and Rachel, and Monica and Chandler. Then we can be sure that this is fair."

Joey shrugged his defeat. "Okay."

"So, how do we get the questions? Last time Ross made them."

"We can come up with our own for our side."

"And when our we going to do this?"

"Is everyone free on Saturday?" They all nodded. "Good, that'll give us a couple days to come up with questions."

"Do we still win the apartment this time?" Joey ventured.

"No!" Both Monica and Rachel said.

"So what do we win?" Ross asked.

"How about the losers have to take the winners out for a celebratory dinner?" Phoebe asked. Everyone agreed.


	2. The Competition

Chapter Two: The Competition

Monica and Rachel's apartment was decidedly empty for weekend morning when all six friends had the weekend free. It was still fairly early, only nine in the morning, and the three girls were hunched over some neatly types data sheets on the kitchen table. Phoebe had spent the night so that they could be up early and ready to start reviewing facts before the boys came over. They had decided to start at ten, and the scoreboard was already set up in the living room. Across the hall found a strikingly similar picture. The foosball table, so rarely used as a table, was covered with sheets on scribbled facts, as the three guys had pulled up chairs and were eating their coffeehouse-bought breakfast while reading over sheets for any last minute tidbits of information. Before they knew it, it was ten.

Chandler entered the girl's apartment behind Joey and Ross. The tension was palpable. He offered Monica a quick smile, which she returned before putting her 'game' face on. He missed her. They hadn't spent much time together over the last couple days, because as Monica had put it, it was called 'fraternizing with the enemy.' He rolled his eyes at the thought. Ever since Ross had moved into his new apartment, they had rarely spent a night apart. However, over the passed week they had only spent one night together. Chandler had been awoken by his girlfriend entering his room some time early in the morning, which surprised him as she had banished any 'sleepovers' until after the competition, and was breaking her own rule. She had smiled at him as he blinked sleepily at her and crawled in next to him. When he lightly questioned her on her presence, she responded that she had been 'cold.' Chandler smiled inwardly as he wrapped her tightly in his arms. It was almost summer, she wasn't there because she was cold.

The boys were directed to sit on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, while the girls got the couch. The girls were wearing matching baby blue shirts that had the words 'GIRLS RULE!' on the front and 'BOYS DROOL!' on the back. They were here to play. Chandler felt suddenly unprepared for this, knowing just how easily it could get out of hand with Monica involved, however, it was too late now. 'Let the games begin,' he thought. And so they did.

"Okay, Round One, guys answer first, then girls. We'll switch every round." Monica paused before continuing. "A few quick rules: they'll be no time limit, but you can't take too long to answer, and you have to be one hundred percent honest. No lying about answers, okay?"

"And no throwing plates at other competitors," Chandler added.

Monica glared at him, but stayed silent as she turned her attention down to the question sheet in her hands. "What did Phoebe dress up like every year for Halloween when she was growing up?"

"Uh," Ross stuttered, not having expected such a hard first question. "Um, a cat?" He ventured.

"Wrong!" Rachel said. "Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz."

"Where'd you get cat from?" Phoebe asked.

Ross shrugged. "I don't know, you had to get Smelly Cat from somewhere."

"Are you saying I sell?"

"No, no. No." Ross said. "It was just the first thing that popped into my head."

"Sure," Phoebe said, still half-glaring at Ross, but Monica was already motioning for her to continue. Both teams had come up with questions for each other, and each held a list for one member of their team, so they could take turns asking. "Joey," Phoebe began, reading along. "What was Rachel's pony's name?"

"Uh, Flicka?"

"As in 'My Friend'?" Chandler asked.

Joey glared at him. "I couldn't think of another name for a horse."

"I'm sorry Joey, that's wrong," Phoebe said.

"Yeah, her name was Buttercup," Rachel added.

It was Chandler's turn. Rachel looked down at her sheet before meeting Chandler's eyes, a confident smile on her face. "Chandler, what was Monica's scariest moment growing up?"

"When her parents left her at a rest stop during a trip." He answered, no hesitation in his voice.

"That's...right," Rachel, said surprised. "I didn't even know that happened until now." She looked inpressed.

"That never happened," Ross said. "I would remember that."

Monica rolled her eyes. "It was the year we had to drive you out to that speech competition. Mom and dad were so proud that you came in third that they stopped to buy you ice cream on the way home that night, and left while I was in the bathroom. I was too sacred to admit I couldn't find my parents and it was morning before they made it back."

"Oh, yeah, I'd totally forgotten about that. I'm sorry, Mon. You know they didn't mean to."

Monica rolled her eyes. "Sure." Ross looked ready to respond, but she cut him off. "Okay, so it's the boys turn to ask. Hurry up."

Chandler mock-glared at her, as he had the sheet in his hands and was juts waiting for her to stop talking before beginning. "Pheebs, what was Ross's imaginary dinosaur friend's name?"

"Dino," Phoebe answered after a short pause.

"Wrong!" Chandler said, mimicking Rachel from earlier. "And the correct answer is: Geroge. George?" He looked at Ross.

"Dude, where'd you get George from?" Joey asked.

Ross shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "I liked it."

"Wait" Phoebe said. "Where'd I get Dino from?"

"The Flinstones." Joey asnwered.

"Riiiight."

"Anyway," Ross continued. "Rachel, what is Joey's favorite book?"

"Hey, that's a trick question," Rachel complained. "Joey doesn't read."

Joey looked insulted. "I do so read," he said. "I'll have you know that there's a perfectly good book sitting in the freezer this very moment."

"The freezer?" Rachel asked.

"Please don't ask him to explain," Chandler said. "It may take a while. Just answer the question."

"Okay, fine. Uh, Treasure Island?"

"Good guess," Joey said, nodding. "I used to love that book. I'd totally forgotten about it."

"So I got it right?"

Joey laughed at her and shook his head. "Of course not. That would be like cheating on The Shining." He smiled at Rachel's disappointment, and then turned his focus on to Monica. "Monica, when Chandler played baseball in high school, what number was on his jersey?"

"Chandler played sports?" Rachel asked.

Chandler glared at her. "I played lots of sports, just not football." His cheeks reddened for a moment. "My mom wouldn't sign the permission form."

Rachel laughed and turned her attention to Monica who had yet to answer. She had her eyes closed and her face scrunched up. Monica knew she had seen a picture of Chandler with his team, and was trying her hardest to picture the number on his shirt. She refused to let him get ahead of her at all.

"Come on, Mon, just admit you don't know and-"

"Fourteen." She answered, turning her head towards Chandler. His disappointed expression was all she needed to know that she was right. "Okay," she said getting up and adding round one's point to the board. "Girls one: Boys one."

Eight rounds and two hours later, both teams were neck and neck. Phoebe had answered more correctly than Ross, but Joey getting more than Rachel canceled out her extra points. Monica and Chandler however were tied. Neither had gotten a single question wrong. Chandler was starting to get worried, knowing that eventually their friends would question how it was that they knew so much intimate stuff about each other. One glance at his over-determined girlfriend told Chandler that she was not about to back down. And if she wasn't going to, then neither would he.

"Okay," Monica was saying. "We're tied twenty-two all. Boys start round ten."

Chandler sighed as he glanced down at his sheet. He didn't like any of the questions, so he decided to go off the cuff, which were not against the rules, as Monica had already done this. "Phoebe, what was Ross's nickname in high school?"

"Wet pants Gellar."

"Damn," Chandler muttered, and was rewarded with a smack on the side from Ross. "Hey, be careful. I think I still have a bruised rib from Monica elbowing me earlier this week."

"Why would you ask that?" Ross asked. "Stick to the sheet."

"The questions on the sheet suck, Ross. There aren't any hard ones left."

"He's right, man." Joey added.

Ross sighed. "Fine," he said, trying to formulate a question in his head. "Rachel, what are Joey's sisters names? And you need all of them to get the point."

"Uh, Angela, and Mary Ellen, and Brittany, and Elizabeth..." She trailed off, unable to make up any more names. "This isn't fair. He's got too many sisters."

"But it was fair when he had to name your sisters?" Ross interjected.

Rachel glared at him. "I only have two sisters and he could only remember one name."

"And I have seven sisters and you could only remember one name," Joey said. "So we're even. No point."

"Huh," Rachel pouted.

Joey ignored her. "Monica, what is Chandler's job?" Joey went for one, remembering how the girls couldn't get the answer the first time they had played this game.

Monica glared at him and then smiled sweetly. "I believe the correct answer is Statistical Analysis and Data Reconfiguration."

"Wow," Rachel said, impressed. "Too bad you didn't know that last time."

"Ross," Monica turned to her brother. "What was Phoebe's husband's name?"

Ross opened his mouth to respond, then blanked. "Wait, I know the answer. It was, um, uh...Duncan! His name was Duncan!"

"Joey, what is Rachel's favorite book?"

"Weekend at Bernie's the novel?"

Phoebe laughed. "Good try, but its Little Women."

"Chandler," Rachel started. "What bone did Monica break when she was six when Ross pushed her down the stairs?"

"Her collarbone."

"Which one?"

Chandler smiled, remembering the time Monica had told him the story. _It was one of those nights that they simply spent talking, no sex. It was warm and she was dressed only in a tank top and shorts. He was running his hand lightly back and forth along her shoulder when he ventured lower, running it along her collarbone. He ran his hand back and forth a few times, applying a little more pressure before speaking up. "Hey, did you know you've got a little dent right here?" He gently placed her finger on the spot. _

_Monica smiled at him. "No one's ever noticed that before. I broke it when I was six. Ross pushed me down the stairs."_

_Chandler scrunched up his face. "Ouch."_

_Monica shrugged. "It hurt. I was crying. Ross told mom and dad that I fell. I told them the truth. They believed him. My mom spent the whole time waiting in emergency telling me how clumsy I was."_

_Chandler tilted his head in sympathy. "I'm sorry."_

_Monica smiled at him and his heart melted. "You're too good for me." _

Chandler smiled at Rachel. "Her left one."

"Damnit!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Okay," Monica said, adding their scores. "We're now tied twenty-four to twenty-four to start round eleven."

"No. No more, please." Phoebe said. "This game is no fun anymore. And we're getting hungry. It's almost one."

"You better save your appetite for dinner then, cause we get to order whatever we want and the guys get the check." Monica said. "We just have to beat them. All we have to do is get one more point than them in this round."

"You said that two rounds ago." Rachel said, then to the look on Monica's face, "fine."

"And we're tied twenty-nine to twenty-nine going into round sixteen," Monica said an hour later. It was now two in the afternoon and they had dinner reservations for six.

"That's it!" Phoebe exclaimed. "I cannot do this anymore. No one but you and Chandler has got any right in the last five rounds. The questions are too hard now. There's not good ones left."

"Come on Phoebe, we just need one more point."

"No, you're not allowed to use that one anymore. Mon, we can't even come up with questions anymore. Can't we all just agree that we know an equal amount about each other and go and have a nice dinner together?"

"Yeah," Joey agreed. Rachel and Ross nodded their approval.

"No, we started this game and now we're going to sit here until someone wins."

"Fine," Ross said, knowing his sister would never give up. "How about we forfeit. You girls win and we'll take you out for dinner." Joey reluctantly agreed.

"No way," Chandler said. "I haven't gotten any wrong yet. I'm not giving up."

"Yeah, and we're not going to win that way, right girls?" She glanced at Rachel and Phoebe. Rachel was leaning back on the couch, her head as far back as it could go, and her hands were covering her face. Phoebe was sitting up, but her eyes were closed. "Girls!" Phoebe opened her eyes and Rachel jolted out of her trance.

"Mon, we're tired." Rachel said. "It's been four hours. It's not fun anymore."

"But we have to beat them!"

"Why?"

"Because," Monica said, glaring at Chandler. "Certain people can't continue on with their misconception that they know more about us than we do them."

"Look, Mon," Phoebe said. "The way I see it, the last hour has been about you about you and Chandler, not us. If you two have something to prove then that's fine. Why don't we keep going, with only you two playing and whenever, or if ever, someone gets a question wrong, that teams loses."

Monica thought for a minute. "Okay."

Chandler nodded.

The energy in the game seemed refreshed, as everyone leaned a little closer; all question sheets and scoreboard now forgotten. The pressure was on.

"Monica, what is Chandler's favorite food?" Joey asked.

"Macaroni with cut up hotdogs."

"Damn. I thought that was a good one."

Rachel asked next. "Who was Monica's favorite teacher in high school?"

"Mrs. Oliver."

Rachel made a face. "Wow, you really did your homework."

Chandler hid his smile as best he could. In actual fact he hadn't done much real studying at all. Ross had tore through a list of things he thought Chandler would need to know, but Chandler found that he either knew them already, or that Ross was wrong.

It was Ross's turn. "What did Chandler want to be when he grew up?"

Monica smiled and tried not to laugh. "A jockey."

"A jockey? Really?" Joey asked. Chandler nodded. "Dude, jockey's are like four feet tall, your horse wouldn't make it past the finish line. You'd kill the horse."

Chandler rolled his eyes. "It was when I was a little kid. I wasn't that tall yet."

"Hey, aren't you also scared of horses?" Phoebe asked.

Chandler glared at her before nodding. "Yeah, so?"

Monica shook her head at her boyfriend. She had laughed at him when he had told her, but he was good-natured about it. Apparently Chandler had seen National Velvet as a small child and had decided to be a jockey at the age of five. His dreams had been shattered at nine when he realized he was already the same height as many jockey's and had yet to set foot near a horse.

"Okay, my turn to ask," Phoebe said. She thought really hard. "According to Monica, who was better in bed: Pete or Richard?"

Chandler felt his gut tighten at Phoebe's words. He felt a little like he was going to throw up. "Uh," he hesitated, not even wanting to venture a guess. He was ready to forfeit right then and there.

"Phoebe!" Monica exclaimed. "That's not an appropriate question."

"Yeah," Rachel agreed. "It's way too easy. Richard is the obvious answer."

Chandler felt like someone punched him in the gut. Now he really felt like he was going to be sick.

Monica glared at Phoebe. Then she glanced over at Chandler, who was turning a little green. She knew she had to change the subject. "Ask a different question."

"Fine." Phoebe remained silent for a moment, deep in thought. "How long has it been since Monica had sex?"

"Phoebe!" Monica exclaimed. "Stop asking those kind of questions!"

Phoebe smirked. "That long, eh?"

Chandler smiled. He definitely knew the answer to this question.

"That's it," Monica said. "Rachel is asking questions now. Phoebe doesn't get to until she can come up with appropriate questions."

Phoebe sarcastically mimicked Monica's words before resting her head on her palm and sighing. "I was just trying to make the game more interesting."

"Okay, I have a question," Rachel said. "Chandler, who was Monica's first love?"

Chandler smirked. "That would Lance Allocastor, sixth grade."

"Oh God, this game is never going to end, is it?" Rachel asked to no one.

"My turn," Joey said. "Of all the girls Chandler has dated, oh, I'm sorry let me rephrase. Of the few girls Chandler has dated, who has he loved the most?"

"Thanks for that," Chandler said sarcastically. "I don't think this is a good question," he said pointedly.

"Why ever not?" Joey asked, innocently, knowing exactly what Chandler was getting at. "I think its a great question." He turned his attention to Monica.

Monica hesitated. She knew there was no way out of this. She had put herself in this position. The game was her idea, and now she had to face the consequences. She was forced to think back to Chandler's life before they had gotten together. She felt all eyes on her and gazed into Chandler's, looking for a signal. He looked as pained as she felt. She forced her memory back. He had mentioned commitment when he was with Janice, but they had broken up and she drove him so crazy, that she didn't think it was her. He hadn't been with Kathy long, but he had been crazy about her. "Uh, Kathy?"

All eyes were on Chandler, waiting for conformation. "Thats...wrong." He said quietly.

"Really?" Phoebe asked. "You loved Janice more than Kathy?" Phoebe said, using her best impression of Janice's voice.

Chandler winced at the impression.

"See?" Rachel said. "He's totally lying. You obviously didn't love her that much if you can't stand her voice." She shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Chandler you're not supposed to lie. I think you should lose just for that."

"I didn't lie." Chandler said, meeting her eyes. "Monica said one hundred percent honesty, and I'm doing exactly that."

"So, your seriously telling us it was Janice?" Ross asked, flinching just thinking of his time with Janice.

Chandler shook his head. "No, it wasn't Janice either."

"Then who else could it be?" Rachel asked.

"Let's see," said Phoebe. "You went to an all boys high school, so it wasn't during high school, unless of course this secret love is a guy."

Chandler glared at her. "It's a girl." He met Monica's eyes. Monica looked at him with half-interest, half-unease. He smiled gently at her. How could she not know? He knew from the moment Joey asked the question that there was only one way this was going to end. "A beautiful girl," he said pointedly.

At Chandler's words, Monica realized exactly where he was going with this. She felt her heart skip a beat. They had been together for almost eight months and had said their first _I love you's_ only a few months before. _On their five-month anniversary, Chandler had taken her out to dance at a swing-music club. At first she had been nervous about dancing like that in public, but she had caught on to his enthusiasm and realized that ninety percent of the dancers had no idea what they were doing, so she simply let go and tried to keep up with the music. Two hours, sore feet, and many failed spin attempts later, Monica found herself standing alone along the skirt of the dance floor, waiting for Chandler to come back with drinks. She found herself smiling, realizing just how much fun this was. A drink appeared in front of her, which she took thankfully._ "_I'm so thirsty."_

_Chandler smiled. "Me too. I didn't realize how much time had gone by. Are you having fun?"_

_It was Monica's turn to smile. She nodded emphatically. "Loads of fun. This is awesome, Chandler. It was such a good idea." Chandler smiled at her and wrapped his free arm loosely around her waist. She leaned in to him and sighed happily. She fit perfectly in beside him. They were silent as they quickly drained their drinks._

"_You ready to get back out there?" He asked. She nodded and took his hand, allowing herself to be led back out onto the dance floor. The music picked up and she felt him grab hold of her hand, preparing to spin her. She spun out and back in, ending up with her back against his chest, his right arm holding her close, still attached to her left hand. _

_They remained stationary for a moment before Monica squealed and spun around, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his lips. "We did it!"_

Chandler's eyes seemed bluer than she had ever seen them. He smiled back at her, a hand reaching up to brush a strand of hair from her face. "I love you," he whispered.

Monica felt her heart swell and tears spring to her eyes. Smiled and tilted her head just a bit. "I love you, to." And she knew she meant it. There was no hesitation, no regret, no wondering. She loved the man before her. To complete the moment she reached up and met his lips half way.

Monica's mind jumped back to the present. She had never expected her honesty clause to present such a problem. And she had never expected Chandler to use it this way. They had been keeping their relationship a secret for so long that she had stopped thinking of the little white lies they had been forced to tell.

"A beautiful girl, eh?" Ross asked. "Well it definitely wasn't during college. There were barely any girls, let alone pretty ones."

Chandler glared at him.

"How has there been a girl like this that none of us know about?" Rachel asked.

Chandler smirked. "Monica knows, and Joey."

Ross, Rachel and Phoebe turned their attention towards Joey and Monica.

"Well, Monica obviously didn't or she wouldn't have gotten the question wrong." Phoebe said.

"Well she should have known." Chandler said. "It was actually a very simple question."

"And how come Joey got to know and I didn't?" Ross asked.

"Because you're special," Chandler said. "And I value my life," he muttered under his breath.

"So, who was she?" Rachel asked.

"First of all, its who _is_ she," Chandler corrected. "And secondly, I don't know if I want to say."

"Hey, you can't have the point if you don't give the correct answer." Phoebe said.

"Yeah, its against the rules," Rachel chimed in.

"Really, you see I don't remember that being a rule." He turned his attention to Monica, his eyes meeting hers. "Do the rules state that I have to tell?" He waited, allowing her to decide if she was ready to go public yet. He knew he was ready, but would wait for her for as long as she needed. He couldn't wait to be able to do simple things such as hold her hand in public.

Monica took a moment to think. She knew exactly what Chandler was thinking, exactly what he was doing by asking her about the rule. She took a deep breath. "No, I don't think the rules state that you have to tell."

"Oh," Chandler said, feeling a little disappointed, but forcing a smile back to his mouth. He turned back to the girls. "See-"

Monica cut him off, a small smile playing on her face. "But that doesn't mean that you can't tell anyway."

Chandler smiled. "You sure?"

Monica nodded.

Chandler took a minute to collect his thoughts, having no idea how to approach this. He glanced at Joey who decidedly gleeful at the thought of not having to keep the secret anymore.

"Wait a minute," Rachel said. "You said who _is_ she. You're dating her right now, aren't you?" Chandler nodded. "How long?"

"Eight months."

"No way," Phoebe said. "No way have you been in a relationship for eight months, especially without us finding out."

Chandler shrugged. "You'd be surprised at just how oblivious you guys can be."

"So, who is she?" Ross asked.

Chandler seemed to realize something at Ross's words and promptly stood up, moving away from Ross.

"What are you doing?" Ross asked.

"Just giving myself a head start," Chandler replied, the comment going right over Ross's head.

Chandler ventured around the back of the couch, five sets of eyes following his progress, but there was only one set he was interested in. He kept eye contact with Monica as he came to stand beside her. "Well, you see..."

"Wait," Monica said, jumping up to stand beside him. She hesitated and he lifted an arm, motioning for her to come in close. She smiled and tucked her body in next to his, her arms around his back and his over her shoulder.

"Well," Chandler started, ignoring the surprised faces. "Apparently you already know her." He pulled Monica in closer. Four sets of eyes transferred from Chandler to Monica.

Monica bit her lip, a little worried. "And I know all of you." Both Rachel and Phoebe gasped at her words. Ross remained silent.

"You mean, you two are...are, like, together?" Rachel managed.

Both Monica and Chandler nodded.

"For eight months?" Phoebe asked. Again they nodded. "So that would be since..." Phoebe trailed off, thinking.

"Since London, baby!" Joey exclaimed.

"London!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Wait, so how come Joey knows?" Phoebe asked.

Joey shrugged. "I figured it out. It was so obvious." Phoebe turned her attention towards the newly announced couple.

Chandler nodded. "He really did figure it out."

"But, its Joey," was Phoebe's only reply.

"He incidentally heard two parts of the same story and figured it out. It was just coincidence." Monica said.

"So," Phoebe said. "You've put up with Chandler for eight months. That's impressive."

"Hey," Chandler retorted.

"What?" Phoebe asked. "Isn't that the longest relationship you've ever had?"

Chandler reluctantly nodded. "Yes, but the same goes for her."

Phoebe thought. "Okay, that may be true, but you're Chandler."

"So? What makes that a bad thing?"

"Nothing." Monica cut in. "It's not a bad thing. It's a good thing. Phoebe doesn't know what she's talking about." And with that Monica reached up, tilted his head down and kissed him, long and hard. Chandler responded by turning slightly, so they were fully facing each other and pulled her in close. When they finally pulled away, Joey was looking disgusted, Rachel and Phoebe looked shocked, and Ross had an unreadable expression on his face. It was then that Monica realized he had yet to say anything following their announcement. "Ross? You okay over there?"

"He looks mad," Chandler whispered to her.

Ross rose and silently approached them, all eyes on him.

Chandler, fighting all instincts, remained where he was, subtly pulling Monica in front of him. Ross stopped only feet away, his expression still unreadable, except for a small hint of interest.

"My best friend?" He asked Monica. She nodded confidently, not afraid of her brother. She took Chandler's hand and squeezed tightly.

Ross switched his attention to Chandler, who was bravely holding his gaze. "My sister?"

Chandler's mouth suddenly felt far too dry. She swallowed nervously as he nodded. He hesitated for a moment before, "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner, but we're both so bad with relationships and it has been going so well." He paused, looking for any inclination of acceptance from Ross. "I love her." This really got Ross's attention. His gaze snapped to Chandler's, as if looking for honesty in his expression. Chandler offered a small smile. Ross shifted back to Monica.

"I love him, to." She said. "A lot." She added.

Ross smiled, stepped forward and flung his arms around Monica and Chandler, pulling both of them into a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you guys."

Monica and Chandler were both surprised by Ross's actions and hesitated before returning the hug. When he finally pulled away, both girls were there, waiting for their hug.

"This is good," Rachel said.

Phoebe nodded. "Weird, but good."

Monica glared at Phoebe.

"No, not weird, I just mean that it will take some getting used to, that's all. No wait, there. Done. I'm already used to it."

Monica laughed at Phoebe's antics. "It's okay, Pheebs. It took us some getting used to as well."

Chandler smiled at her and felt his heart jump when she smiled back. How he had managed to get himself into a relationship with someone as amazing as he was beyond him, but he wasn't going to complain. He pulled her in a little closer and smiled when he felt her take his hand. He loved being able to hold her in public. He sighed contentedly. This was exactly where he wanted to be.

AN: So, is it any good? A third (and quite possibly last) chapter will be up soon.


	3. The Conclusion

Chapter 3: The conclusion

AN: sorry about the delay. Life caught up to me, and then passed me and I had to catch up. lol. So, I made a mistake in the last chapter. I thought the whole Joey and Rachel switching books was later on in the series, so in the story it should already of happened, but lets just forget about that, kay? Thanx.

Monica took one last look in her mirror before stepping out her door. She knew the guys were already there waiting for her and Rachel to be ready to go to the restaurant. Ross and Phoebe were going to meet them there. She opened her door and smiled at Chandler, who was sprawled out on the couch beside Joey, watching television. Chandler returned her smile and motioned for her to come sit beside him. They both knew it would be a while before Rachel was ready to go. Monica sat down beside her boyfriend and snuggled in close when he reached his arm around her. She rested her head against his shoulder for a few moments before lifting it up and speaking. "This is nice."

Chandler smiled over at her. "What?"

She shrugged. "Just…this. Being able to do this now. No hiding."

Chandler felt his heart warm at her words and he found himself nodding. "It is nice." He gently pulled her closer and leaned over to kiss her. After a few seconds Joey cleared his throat.

"I still really don't want to see that."

Chandler laughed as he pulled away, keeping Monica close. "Sorry Joe. I wish I could promise it won't happen again, but…you know."

Joey rolled his eyes as he glanced over at the happy couple. He was glad everything was out in the open now and he was no longer on the hook for keeping it a secret. He really was happy for his friends, but he hated keeping secrets. However, one glance at his best friend who had one arm around his girlfriend and the other gently playing with her fingers and Joey knew it was worth all the months of secret keeping. He was sure it wouldn't have worked as well if everyone had known about them from the beginning. Ross would have gone insane, and the girls would have been too hypercritical. It was better this way. Joey turned his attention back to the television, before glancing at his watch, noticing the time. "Rach, we gotta go!" He called out.

"In a minute!" Joey winced at her tone. Getting Rachel anywhere on time was a lot of work.

Rachel sighed as she turned her attention back onto the careful application of her mascara after Joey had interrupted her concentration. She was almost ready to go, but had to make sure she looked good. There may be cute men at the restaurant tonight, and she was damned she wasn't going to make a good impression. Her roommate had been in a relationship for eight months, which meant she was eight months behind. She leaned back from the mirror, making sure all was good before grabbing her purse and heading for the door. She opened her door to find Monica, Chandler and Joey on the couch, Monica leaning close to Chandler, his arm around her. Rachel felt a small wave of jealousy shoot through her. Her roommate looked so happy and it had been so long since Rachel had felt like that. She was happy for her best friend, but the shook of the fact that Monica was in a relationship made Rachel realize she wasn't even close to having a relationship. Rachel barely paused before marching right past the couch to the door.

"Guys, would you hurry up. Turn off the TV. We're going to be late." Rachel smiled to herself at her words as she grabbed her jacket off the hook behind the door.

"Oh, yeah, it's really our fault that we're going to be late." Rachel heard Chandler mutter good-naturedly.

Rachel spun around, just having finished donning her jacket and waved her arms out, motioning to herself. "Hey, I'm ready to go."

Chandler made a face. "Hey, if you're sure that you really want to go out looking like that."

Rachel was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Chandler shrugged, acting nonchalant. "Nothing really, just that those shoes _so _do not go with that jacket."

Rachel paused and looked down at her shoes, and then her jacket. "Oh, I gotta go change them." She whipped off her jacket and went to speed back into her room when Monica caught her arm on the way by.

Monica was laughing. "Rach, don't worry. He's joking. He has no idea what he's talking about."

Chandler scoffed at her.

Monica rolled her eyes. "What? You think I don't have a point?"

"So what if you have a point? It wasn't very nice to say out loud."

Monica released Rachel's arm. "Put your jacket back on, Rach."

"Yeah, Rach, look who's not ready to go now." Chandler said.

Rachel glared at him as she picked her jacket up off the floor, not wanting to admit that she had been tricked. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Chandler easily wrapped Monica's jacket around her shoulders. Rachel was surprised for a moment. Obviously he had done this before. She was surprised a few more times on the way to the restaurant as she observed Chandler opening the car door, holding the restaurant door and pulling out Monica's chair. Everything seemed so second nature to them. Rachel wondered how no one had noticed this for so long.

Ross smiled at Phoebe and absently nodded along to whatever it was she was saying. His mind was elsewhere. He still couldn't believe that his sister was dating his best friend. And for so long without him knowing! He glanced at his watch, smiling to himself as he realized why they were late. He turned his attention back to Phoebe just in time to see her nod her head up at something behind him. Ross turned halfway around in his seat to see the late foursome enter the restaurant. His eyes cautiously trailed his sister as she navigated the path between the other tables, the other three behind her. She looked happy, he determined. He shook his head slightly as he realized she had looked happy for some time now, but he hadn't noticed. He gently chastised himself for not having noticed earlier. If he really thought about it they were a good fit.

Monica had reached the table and took a seat beside her brother, Chandler sitting beside her after helping her push in her chair. Ross offered a quiet greeting, and Chandler offered a gentle smile, as if he wasn't quite comfortable around his friend. Ross forced himself to return his friend's smile, adding a friendly nod and playfully nudged his sister. "What took ya so long?"

Monica rolled her eyes as she retaliated with a somewhat stronger nudge. "What do you think?" Ross laughed and shook his head in mock-disapproval at Rachel, who was denying any involvement in their untimely arrival. He laughed, happy to have a night out with his friends. As the evening went on he found himself becoming more and more comfortable with the couple beside him. At first he found himself surprised every time Chandler or Monica leaned into the other or gently grabbed the other's hand, but one look at either's face and he realized how happy they were. About halfway through dinner he realized there was a very good chance Chandler could become his brother in law one day. He was momentarily taken aback by the thought, but was surprised to find himself smiling.

Phoebe sighed happily as she glanced around at the five most important people in her world. She smiled at the happy couple sitting across from her. She had noticed a difference in both Chandler and Monica over the last few months, but hadn't put two and two together. She now realized why they had seemed so happy and content lately. She felt truly happy for them. She tilted her head slightly, reading their auras, which showed her just how happy they were together. She remained quiet as she shifted her attention one by one to her other friends. Ross was handling the situation well considering. He seemed to be accepting the new situation well, and seemed even happy about it. Joey looked practically ecstatic, and relieved. Phoebe smiled as she realized just how hard it would have been on him to keep that kind of a secret for so long. She knew from experience that Joey wasn't one to keep anything in. She shifted attention to Rachel, who seemed happy for her friend, with just a touch of sadness. Phoebe nodded to herself knowingly. She knew exactly what Rachel was feeling, that little voice that said 'look how happy my friend is, why don't I have that?' Phoebe sighed, knowing everything would work out for her one day, and she smiled as she turned her attention back to Rachel and shook her head. She knew who Rachel belonged with and knew that one day Rachel would end up with one of her best friends, she just hadn't realized it yet.

Chandler smiled at the story Joey was telling, fighting the urge to comment on a particular comment Joey made, but found his attention elsewhere at the sudden sensation of a small hand resting on his leg. He glanced over at Monica and smiled. He was glad the earlier tension had disappeared. He knew his friends were surprised about his relationship with Monica, but he hoped they would be able to be happy for them. He felt a sudden wave of happiness at the thought of never having to hide from anyone again. He took a breath and glanced over at the amazing woman beside him. He felt a rush of love well up within him at the realization that this was it for him. She was it for him. He never wanted to be with anyone else ever again. His future suddenly seemed clear for the first time in his life. It would take time for him to gain the rest of the confidence he needed, but he knew she would be right there beside him the whole time, encouraging him. She never ceased to amaze him.

Monica smiled as she felt Chandler gently take and squeeze her hand. She had been afraid earlier that day when she realized where Chandler was going. At first she hadn't wanted to tell everyone yet. She had imagined the two of them is a safety bubble that would burst if everyone else knew. But here they were, everyone knew and Chandler was still right there beside her, smiling and holding her hand. She wondered how she had never noticed how amazing he was before. All those years of looking for the perfect guy and he was right there the whole time. Life was good.

Dinner was over and everyone was stuffed. The waiter dropped the check off at the table. Suddenly six pairs of eyes rested on the same spot on the table, all waiting for someone else to grab the check. There was silence for a few moments before Joey lightly cleared his throat and gently pushed the bill away from him and towards Rachel and Phoebe who were sitting beside him.

"What do you think you're doing, Tribbiani?" Phoebe demanded.

Joey looked a little nervous. "Well, you girls are paying right?"

"Why would you think that?" Rachel asked.

Joey hesitated. "Because you lost?" He ventured, flinching with expectation.

"We didn't lose!" Monica yelled, causing Chandler to drop her hand and discreetly distance himself from his girlfriend.

"Ah, yes you did," Ross said.

"I don't think so," Phoebe said.

Ross nodded. "Monica got the question wrong, meaning you girls lost, meaning we get a free dinner."

"You're on think ice, Gellar," Rachel said.

"He does have a point," Chandler spoke up, motioning for Joey to back him up.

Joey nodded his agreement. "Yeah."

Monica turned an incredulous look toward her boyfriend. "We did not lose."

Chandler hesitated for a moment. "Yes you did, you got the question wrong."

"That's not fair."

Chandler shrugged. "They were your rules."

"Yeah, but…" She trailed off, unable to think of anything to say.

Chandler smiled sweetly. "But nothing. You lost. We won."

"But the question wasn't fair. I didn't even think that I was an option."

Chandler shrugged. "Not my problem."

Monica glared at him. "I will not accept losing like that. So, you know what that means…Rematch!" The other five at their table groaned in protest.

Rachel cleared her throat. "You know, I think the guys are right." She reached for the check.

Phoebe nodded. "You're right. We did lose fair and square. We'll pay."

"No…" Monica tried, but the girls were already dividing up the bill. They would rather pay than have to play the game again, especially since they knew Monica would be even more neurotic this time about practicing. She sighed and pulled her checkbook out, shooting a mock-glare at Chandler. He rolled his eyes and carefully reclaimed her hand with his.

Chandler knew he wasn't going to hear the end of this for a while, but he was okay with that. There was still lots he didn't know about Monica, but he was confident that over time he would know everything about her that there was to know. He sighed happily and felt Monica gently squeeze his hand, letting him know she wasn't really mad at him.

Monica huffed and pretended to sulk, but wasn't really that upset. If she thought about it, she realized that it boded well for her that she had gotten the question wrong. In a way she had won because Chandler loved her best. The thought made her heart jump a little and she finally relented and smiled. As long as she had him, she had won.

AN: So that's it. I don't really like this chapter, it seems really awkward to me. I may re-write it in the future, but this was the best I could get for now. Thanks for reading.


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